1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an intrauterine radiation device and system, and more particularly, to an intrauterine radiation device and system having individually inflatable balloons, which constantly expand the inside of the vagina to a desired degree using the balloons in accordance with treatment planning during uterine brachytherapy, which enable the position of a radiation applicator to be accurately reproduced, and which apply a precise dose of radiation determined according to the treatment planning.
2. Discussion of Related Art
In general, to treat a patient for a disease occurring in the uterus such as uterine cancer, brachytherapy is performed on the uterus by applying radiation to a diseased part of the uterus. To apply the radiation, radiation source mobile instruments are used. The radiation source mobile instruments are devices that move a radiation source, and generally include a tandem and an ovoid.
When the treatment is performed using the radiation source mobile instruments, the vagina is first expanded using a speculum. In this state, an operator inserts an intrauterine insertion instrument called a tandem into the uterus while directly looking at the tandem.
Subsequently, the speculum is removed from the vagina, and then an intravaginal insertion instrument called an ovoid is pushed into the vagina. In this case, since the operator does not look at a depth of insertion of the ovoid, the operator intuitively pushes the ovoid into the vagina. Here, the speculum is removed in order to insert the ovoid into the vagina to prevent the ovoid from being caught by the speculum due to a size of the ovoid when the ovoid is inserted.
To immobilize the radiation source mobile instruments, i.e. the tandem and the ovoid, which have been inserted in this way, and to prevent unnecessary radiation from being applied to organs such as the bladder and the rectum adjacent to the vagina, the operator directly inserts and packs gauze into the vagina and the uterus.
Such radiation source mobile instruments have the following problems.
First, the gauze is packed around the tandem and the ovoid. An amount, a thickness, an insertion depth, an insertion direction, etc. of the gauze are difficult to equally reproduce whenever the treatment is performed. If the radiation source mobile instrument packed with the gauze is changed in position whenever the treatment is performed, it is difficult to perform an accurate operation.
Second, the number of radiation source mobile instruments used is generally three. Thus, it is difficult to obtain more diverse, selective distributions of the radiation dose.
Third, when radiating from the radiation source, the radiation generally has a characteristic of being constantly emitted from the same center toward its surroundings. Thus, if a position of a tumor is biased in one direction or the tumor has an irregular shape, the radiation source mobile instrument does not apply the radiation only to the tumor, but to the surrounding normal organs. As a result, the radiation source mobile instrument may actually have an adverse effect on the normal organs.